Chapter 4
"The culprit's a psychic!" I said.
My outburst got the others looking my way. It was after school and we were just hanging out in the clubroom like usual.
"What's this all of a sudden?" asked Omoyo.
"Like I said," I replied, "I think the culprit's a psychic."
I followed up with a brief summary of what happened the day before. Yuna corroborated my story, and I think that's what got the others to take my opinion more seriously.
"So you think the new Piper that's going around attacking people's a guy with ice powers," Mirai said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I gotta admit, knowing this town, that's not out of the question."
"True," Isaneko seconded. "Yuna's sensing someone following this friend of Oota's and that out of place sheet of ice on the ground do make strong, circumstantial evidence. But I'm surprised. That was pretty insightful for you, Oota."
"Thanks," I said with a proud grin.
Omoyo pointed out, "That was not a compliment."
"Still, that doesn't really narrow down our suspect pool," said Isaneko. "From what I understand, there are tons of people in this town with ice-based powers, including one in our very own student council."
"Well, we gotta start somewhere if we want to solve this mystery," Mirai said with a shrug.
"Should we tell someone?" I asked. "Like maybe the police?"
Mirai, however, shook his head. "Sadly, I'm not sure that'll really help. Like Isaneko said, there are tons of people who could make an out-of-season frozen puddle. It'll be impossible to catch the new Piper with that alone. And that's assuming you're right and the one who attacked your friend is the Piper."
"You think there's a chance I'm wrong?" I asked.
"Sorry, Oota, but yeah," Mirai said. "I'm not saying that you're just imagining someone attacked your friend. I'm just saying that whoever attacked your friend might not be the Piper. After all, what happened doesn't exactly match the Piper's usual M.O."
"I guess you're right," I said. "But that still doesn't change the fact that someone attacked my friend, or that they're a psychic."
"Does your friend know that he was attacked?" asked Omoyo.
I shook my head and replied, "No, he thinks it was just a freak accident. I never got around to asking if he had superpowers or know that they're real."
"I also think it would be a good idea to keep quiet that the new Piper may be a psychic," said Isaneko, gaining all eyes on her now.
"How come?" I asked her.
She explained, "I've been keeping track of the whole Soushu v. Yamimura situation on social media, and things have grown even more volatile. I don't know how it started, but members of both sides are accusing one another for inventing a Piper copycat as cover to attack each other's members. If word gets out confirming that the culprit is a psychic, it'll just add more fuel to the fire."
Suddenly, a tune chimed from the P.A. system and a boy's voice announced it was almost time for the school to close.
"Well, that's our cue to go," Mirai said. "Let's pack our bags and call it a day."
After grabbing our bags and locking the door, we headed out together like always. As we walked down the hall, a boy called out to me and said, "Yo, Oota! Looking forward to sparring with you soon!"
He ran the opposite direction from us and disappeared at a turn.
When he was gone, Omoyo turned to me and asked, "A friend of yours?"
I responded, "Kinda. That's Sakamoto. He's one of the Kendo Club's newbies."
"Oh," Omoyo said. "That's right. You got practice with the Kendo Club in a couple of days. You're getting really popular there."
Self-disparagingly, I snorted and said, "I wish."
Well, it is true that Sakamoto and I got along well and sparred together frequently. Though I think his respect for me is a bit overblown given that we're almost the same age.
Suddenly, after passing the front gate, Mirai went, "Oh! I just remembered. The Dark Lords of the Abyss have tasked me with an important mission. One that could decide the fate of all Underworlds!"
"Ugh!" Omoyo groaned and rolled her eyes. "Just say you got an errand to run for your parents. But that reminds me, I need to head over to the marketplace to restock my fridge. So I'll be splitting from here too."
"Then it'll just be me and the Ootas," said Isaneko. "Don't worry. I'll make sure our little chickadees get home safe."
I frowned reproachfully at being treated by a little kid, but she just ignored me. Instead, she waved Mirai and Omoyo off with a smile before joining me and Yuna for a stroll back home.
The sun was a bit too bright and hot for my taste as me and the girls walked down the road. There were birds chirping, chatter around us, and leaves rustling in a barely helpful breeze. Now and then, cars whisked by, though I barely paid attention while occasionally glancing at my phone.
Basically, it was the same-old, same-old. Until, that is, a bunch of strangers suddenly walked up to us and bowed their heads as low as they could. They were two men and one lady.
"Oh great and all-powerful Angel!" said the lady. "It is an honor to be in your presence!"
Yuna and I blinked, confused, and I went, "What the what?"
Isaneko, however, grimaced. I had never seen her make a face like that before and wondered who these guys were and what they did to irritate her that much.
The strangers didn't notice because they had their heads down so low it was like they were trying to fold themselves in half. But when they finally looked up, her face was back to fake pleasant and grace.
"This is quite a surprise," she said. "What are you all doing here? Don't you all live in Tokyo?"
"We were sent here by the Grand Regent to check in on you," explained one of the men. He appeared middle-aged with a scrawny build.
"Her Excellence was mighty concerned for your safety, as we all are, after news of a new Piper surfaced," said the more stoutly-built gentleman.
I stood to the side with Yuna, watching the exchange with what Isaneko called a blank stare, wondering who these people were, if they were friends of Isaneko, and who was the Grand Regent and Her Excellence.
Keeping a smile plastered on her face, Isaneko responded to the strangers, "I see. It feels me with gratitude to know I have such loyal followers concerned for the safety of their idol."
The strangers appeared pleased, but I wasn't so sure that was a compliment. To me, it was noticeably snide. Even more so than usual for Isaneko.
"But in any case," she continued, "your concerns are unnecessary. I am the All-Powerful Angel, remember? Do you really think that with my power, I could be harmed? I am perfectly safe."
"But Lady Angel!" the lady protested. "You yourself have said that even you have limits. And this Piper could be the act of the Demons."
Isaneko raised an eyebrow. "The Demons? What Demons?"
"The Demons that the Grand Regent warned us about," the lady said. "She believes that Demons were coming, seeking to do harm to you and then the world."
"And how, pray tell, did she come to that conclusion?" asked Isaneko. Her voice had become somewhat steely. And this time, the strangers noticed. I could see them quaking in their shoes.
"F-forgive her, Lady Angel!" stammered the stout man. "She did not mean to offend you."
"There is no need for apologies," Isaneko said sweetly. "There's no offense taken."
"Coulda fooled me," I muttered under my breath.
Isaneko turned and with a smile that chilled me to my bones, asked, "Did you say something?"
"Nope!" I quickly replied. "Not at all."
"Anyway," Isaneko said, returning her attention to the strangers, "you do not need to worry about any Demons attacking me. Even if something were to happen, I have the Holy Guardian to protect me."
She gave me a glance. The strangers also found themselves looking at me after following her gaze.
"Uh . . . why are you all looking at me?" I asked.
"This . . . boy is the Holy Guardian?" said the scrawny man.
I blinked. "I'm the what now?"
"Indeed, he is," said Isaneko. "Do you doubt me?"
"Forgive us, Lady Angel," said the stout man, "but he doesn't look like much of a guardian. He looks more like a semi-shut-in nerd boy who consumes an abnormal amount of anime-related media even by most anime fans' standards."
"Hey, I don't consume an abnormal amount of anime-related media," I protested. Honestly, with school and club activities, I felt I wasn't consuming enough.
"That's the only part that bothers you?" Isaneko whispered.
She cleared her throat and addressed the strangers again.
"Looks can be deceiving," she pointed out. "But if you still have doubts, allow me the chance to dispel them."
She turned to face me again.
"Turn on your Psy-Armor," she ordered.
I looked at her warily and slowly asked, "Why?"
"Just do it, pretty please?"
She could act all sweet all she wanted, but I knew her true nature already and did not like where this was going. But it is also because I knew her true nature that I knew it would be best to have my Psy-Armor on anyway.
After a short pause, I said, "Okay, it's on. Now what? And is it really okay to show our powers in public like this?"
Isaneko waved me off dismissively and said, "It's fine. It's fine. Just wait a bit."
She looked around until her eyes landed on a nearby recycle bin. The lid of the bin flew off on its own and she peeked inside.
As she backed away, a big glass bottle floated out of the recycle bin like a balloon and followed her as she strolled back over to me. I really did not like that big smile she had on her face as she approached me.
The strangers, however, were in awe.
"Ooh! The Angel's miraculous power!" went the scrawny man.
"It has been so long since I could feast my eyes on this wonder!" said the lady.
The stout man put his hands together in prayer and muttered, "Thank you for this miracle! Thank you for this miracle!"
Judging by the lady's words, this was not the first time they had seen Isaneko's telekinesis.
I looked away from the strange grownups and asked Isaneko, "What are you going to do with that bottle?"
Her smile spread wider to a more sinister grin. Next thing I knew, the bottle flew straight into my head and shattered to a bajillion pieces.
"Yikes!" I yelled and jumped back. "What was that for?"
But rather than answer me, Isaneko turned to the strangers and said, "As you can see, he is unscathed."
"Oh! It's true!" exclaimed the stout man. "He doesn't even look like he felt anything!"
He and the other strangers stared at me with as much wonder and awe as they had shown Isaneko, which I really did not enjoy. I was always the type of person who preferred to be left alone rather than be in the center of attention.
"He is my indestructible Holy Guardian, chosen by the Heavens themselves to aid me in my mission," Isaneko continued. "So don't let his looks fool you. He may look harmless now, but he will turn into a mighty and vicious oni to punish evil! So you better behave, or you'll find him at your doorstep with blade in hand."
"What am I? Some kind of Namahage?" I grumbled under my breath while wondering how she could keep a straight face while spewing the same sort of nonsense Mirai usually did. And more importantly, I wondered how those grownups (probably twenty, thirty years older than me) could take her words so seriously. They looked at me fearfully like children who ran into an actual Namahage.
A Namahage, by the way, is a scary, mythical being that goes around punishing bad little boys and girls.
With a demonstration of my power, Isaneko was finally able to convince the strangers to leave and go home, which they did reluctantly. Isaneko, Yuna and I stood and watched until they disappeared down the road.
Once she was sure they were gone and out of earshot, Isaneko breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Good riddance."
Yuna and I exchanged looks and then she pressed button on her phone to voice her question: "Who were those people?"
"And what's this about me being the Holy Guardian?" I added.
Isaneko replied, "Oh, them? They're just some members of my cult. My mom sent them to check up on me. She's the Grand Regent and Her Excellence, by the way. As for that Holy Guardian garbage, that's just something I made up on the spot to get them to go away."
"You don't seem to like them, even though they seem to really like you," I pointed out.
"They like me a little too much," said Isaneko, "which can be very annoying and troublesome. Anymore questions, Oota?"
I shook my head.
"How about you, Yuna?"
Yuna shook her head.
"And how about you, little Miss Invisible Girl?"
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